Writer Spark

Melissa Bourbon is a national bestselling author with over 30 novels to her name, published both traditionally and through indie channels. She brings that dual-track experience to Writer Spark, a biweekly podcast that covers craft, creativity, and the business of fiction writing in roughly equal measure. The show has about 50 episodes, and the format splits between solo teaching sessions and interviews with guest authors. Solo episodes tend to run 20 minutes or so and focus on a single technique — using setting as a character, building effective writing routines, or understanding how true crime intersects with fiction writing. Interview episodes stretch longer, sometimes past an hour, and feature authors sharing their publishing journeys and creative processes. Bourbon also runs WriterSpark Academy, which offers self-paced courses, coaching, and workshops for writers at various stages. The podcast functions as a free extension of that educational platform, and you can tell — episodes have a structured, lesson-oriented feel rather than the loose conversational vibe of many writing podcasts. The show holds a 5.0-star rating on Apple Podcasts, though from just 5 reviewers, so it's still building its audience. What it offers is the perspective of someone who's actually navigated the full spectrum of publishing — literary agents, traditional deals, indie marketing, book cover design (Bourbon designs covers too). If you want practical advice from a working author who understands both the creative and commercial sides of a writing career, Writer Spark packs a lot of value into its compact episodes.